An Eight Year Old Cutie

It's hard to believe that this little girl

turned 8 years old last week.  It seems like just yesterday that she was born.  The morning of her birthday we decided to host a birthday breakfast for all of the family.  Everyone pitched right in to make T's favorites:  pancakes, bacon and fruit (with a side of eggs, which she can't eat).  Aunt Lynn had flown in just a few days prior and gifted her this very cool, personalized sword from Pakistan. 

Yep, she is still at the top of the list for Coolest Aunt on Earth. 

Daniel got creative and made his sister this nifty candy bar poster.  At one time Taylor wanted to marry her brother, so its good to see that several years later they still love each other!

Taylor also lucked out with money, flip flops, a dress, a Slip-n-Slide, and a big bucket of hair barrettes. 

A few nights later we hosted her first big sleepover.  Three of her classmates joined us for T's favorite dinner: manicotti.  Then the girls put on makeup to look like different animals for a play that they made up and acted out.

Of course, no party is complete without a cake.  Taylor decided months ago that she wanted to decorate her own cake.  Here she is about to blow out the candle.

A bit later the girls watched "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" in her bed and ate popcorn. 

That was followed by some more present opening (it seemed that the givers were just as excited as the receiver!)

About 10pm we tried our best to call it lights out but....

those bags remained empty for quite a bit longer!  I tried to outlast them, but at 11:30pm I called it quits and hit the sack.  But never fear, those energetic girls were up at 6:30am ready for more fun.  They spent the morning crafting, then pitched right in and played restaurant while we all cooked breakfast and set the table.

After the girls left, I collapsed in a heap on the couch and reminisced about the past eight years.  Overall, I couldn't ask for a  better daughter.  Taylor is full of life, sweet, compassionate, curious and lots of fun!  What a lucky mom I am! 

A Refreshing Perspective

INTERRUPTIONS

"When you are exasperated by interruptions, try to remember that their very frequency may indicate the value of your life. Only people who are full of help and strength are burdened by other persons' needs. The interruptions which we chafe at are the credentials of our indispensability. The greatest condemnation that anybody could incur - and it is a danger to guard against - is to be so independent, so unhelpful, that nobody ever interrupts us, and we are left comfortably alone."
-Anonymous
from The Anglican Digest

A Perfect Mother's Day

What a blessing my family is to me!  We had a "down home" sort of Mother's Day enjoying breakfast, worship, a local hike and dinner in Augusta.  How I love being a mom to these two precious kiddos!

This was the first warm morning to enjoy a cup of coffee out on the back porch.  The kids made it even better by making homemade oatmeal (on the stove since the microwave is out of commission), fruit smoothies and mixed fruit salad.  What great breakfast partners!

After worship, we changed clothes, threw lunch in the cooler and drove 45 minutes south and west to hike the Willow Creek Trail.  With the spring thaw in full swing, the grass was green, the aspen trees a beautiful shade of lime and the wildflowers were blooming around every corner.  We hiked up and up past 3 waterfalls and eventually landed in a high alpine meadow surrounded by snowy mountains.  The kids quickly discarded their clothes down to the undies and played in the absolutely FREEZING creek. 

Then it was dinner at the Buckhorn Bar with Brad and Patti (Happy Mother's Day!) and ice cream to top it all off from the aptly named restaurant, Chubby's.  Then home for a tick check, showers and sleep--blessed sleep.

I never imagined motherhood to be such a wonderful adventure.  Everyday is different, every year a trial and a joy at the same time, every opportunity a chance to make a difference in the world.  Yes, motherhood IS all its cracked up to be.  Thank you Daniel and Taylor for making me a mom, for loving me and for teaching me!

Prayer of an 11 year old boy...

"Dear God,

Thank you for helping me survive my first day of being 11..."

 The laughter bubbled up inside of me.  Then the fear hit.  Apparently, my newly minted 11 year old son was expecting this next year to be rough....and survival of the fittest was top on the list. Thank goodness he has a good school, close friends and a fairly even temperment.  The 11th year of a boys life can be diffiuclt.  There are body changes and odor changes.  There are upper elementary/jr. high expectations.  Hormones begin to surface and boys jostle like roosters for pecking order.

Yep, 11 can be a BIG year for boys.  Just as long as my boy continues to thank God for every day, recognize the beauty in a sunset and, once in a while, let me cuddle before bed time....

I think we will all survive!

Daniel--11 years old

Saturday night brought 2 extra boys to our house.  The plan was to climb up onto the roof of the house and watch the stars and then sleep out in a tent.  Mother Nature, however, had different plans and snow was in the forecast. 

So we ate pizza on the lawn...boys are so easy.

Earlier in the day I had been tipped off that Daniel knew what he was getting as his big present.  So, I had to outsmart him.  I wrapped up a book I had lying around the house and then asked him in front of his friends where he wanted to stack his gifts.  The look of disappointment was quite evident as he analyzed the size of the book verses the size of his REAL gift.  About 15 minutes later, he confessed.  "Mom, when I checked your email the other day for my National Geographic stuff, I saw an order invoice from a company and thought you got me something else."  I love when the truth comes out! 

So, after pizza we opened gifts (coloring pencils, Pokemon cards, our book)

and as the boys were running away I casually mentioned that I thought there was something else in my closet.  Boy did they sprint inside.  And the look on D's face when he opened this gift was priceless!

A remote controlled Chinook helicopter!

After presents was the presentation of the multilayer icecream sandwich cake...

enjoyed with the girls from next door (who also gave D a great crown that said "Daniel 11, Strong + Cool") and then a bonfire.  Jason showed the boys how a backward, tipped wheelbarrow makes for a great seat!

The evening ended with watching a movie inside their indoor tent and then blessed (quiet!) sleep.  In the morning we enjoyed pancakes, eggs and fruit!  What a Grand celebration.

On Daniel's actual birthday, he chose ravioli's for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and then a pistachio pudding cake.  Yum!

I Think I Was Adopted...

I recently had a conversation with a new friend/neighbor of Daniel's.  It began with me noticing that whenever he wanted my attention he would yell, "Hey!"

Me:  Do you know my name?

Boy:  No.

Me:  It's Jennifer, but you can call me Jen.

Boy:  Can I call you by a nickname?

Me:  Sure.  Daniel's Mom or Jen will do.

Boy (thoughtfully):  How about Mom!  (big smile on his face)

Me:  That'll work!!

I think maybe I've been adopted as his "other mother."  My heart grows big!

Signs of Spring

After 4 days of temps above 70 degrees, everything is popping forth from the long winter nap.  It seems like overnight the grass turned green, the asparagus shot up and the flowers began to bloom.  O, what a wonderful reminder of life.

Last spring, I--at the urging of my flower loving mother-in-law-- planted a bed full of perennials behind my house.  Here in Choteau, the only place to plant flowers is where they will be protected from the wind.  Since the front of our house gets the wind full force from the west, my backyard is lush, green and landscaped, while the front is, well, left to fend for itself!  While I have no idea what kind of flowers these are (I'm more the veggie type of gardener), I am loving the bright colors and the way they seem to take care of themselves.

About this time of year, the brown brittle grass of winter gives in to the sunshine and moisture and turns green.  Behind our fenced in backyard, is what we call the "way back."  Technically it is the land beyond our property line that at one time housed a railroad.  While the tracks are still there, the line is no longer in use and makes for a perfect chicken pasture.  Almost 1/2 acre, our flock of 28 can roam, peck, hunt and chase all they want.  Truly, there is no better sight than happy chickens roaming the green grass.  This is also where I house my large yard waste compost pile and, needless to say, this provides our chickens with lots of fun stuff to scratch around and fertilize. 

Last fall, with the hope of jars upon jars of Garlic Pesto, I planted a fall bed of hard neck garlic.  Unlike its soft neck counterparts, hard neck garlic sends up a shoot, called a scape, that you chop off and use for cooking and canning.  These little buggers came up on our first 45 degree day and are growing like crazy.  The asparagus, strawberries, raspberries and onions are also looking good and 2 days ago I seeded in the lettuce, kale and spinach.  Here's hoping that yesterday's rain didnt wash it all away.

Our 5 chicks are doing quite well and growing very quickly.  Their mom, our white silkie named Genti, is a great caregiver and protects them from the other chickens who are constantly after their vitamin water and feed.  Even the big ole' rooster, Fred, who is 3x Genti's size is scared of her.  Smart man!  The yellow chick, probably an Araucana (lays Easter egg colored eggs), has quickly become our favorite and is aptly named Sunshine.  The last photo is of our "Free Exotic Chick" from last years order.  He is a bantam rooster and is very short, but rules the roost like no other.  You should see him chasing those hens around!

Yes, Spring has arrived, and like the Easter proclamation that "Jesus Has Risen!"--our hopes are renewed in the joy of the season! 

Early Spring Happenings

This winter the weather in Montana has been quite unusual.  The mountains to our west are coated  in a thick blanket of snow, while the plains where we live are still fairly dry and wind blown.  The past few weeks have been bright and sunny- aside from 2 quick snow storms- and life is beginning to return to the hills and trees. Underneath the brown grass of winter is an almost undetectable green hue--gentle and delicate, coaxing forth the promise of new life.  The trees are budding out and perennial flowers are poking their heads up toward the warm sunshine.

Our lives have been full of springtime activity.  Easter, of course, is a highlight for us this time of year.  Taylor was especially excited for her 1st Communion held on Maundy Thursday.

Of course, no Easter is complete without dying eggs.  We actually had to buy white eggs in order to color them since the 14-16 we collect from our chickens are either brown, green or blue.

Easter Sunday was a beautiful day!  After worship, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon with family and friends sitting outside, eating a wonderful ham/lamb meal and playing horseshoes.

Daniel and Taylor also worked this spring on their public speaking skills with the Teton County 4-H Demonstration Day.  This was Daniel's second demonstration and Taylor's first.  They both worked VERY hard to come up with their topic, put together a 5-7 minute demonstration and  prepare visual aides.

Taylor demonstrated how to put together a professional looking bouquet.  She loves flowers and even spent a few afternoons with our local florist perfecting her technique.

Daniel chose a project from his favorite book, "Dangerous Things for Boys, " and demonstrated how to fireproof material with alum.  This project will also be tweaked a bit for the science fair.

With the warm sunshine and increasing length of daylight, two of our chickens went "broody."  They were ready to be mama's, so we collected about 14 eggs and they snuggled right in.

Genti, Daniel's favorite hen, has been a mama before and did a wonderful job.  We put this variety of eggs under her and about 10 minutes laer, the broody pen looked with this:

All the eggs were safely nestled under her.

Our other broody-Gossie- is a bit of a whirlwind, so we will see if her delicate eggs make it.  Here she is pushing the eggs under her soft breast feathers for incubation.

Birds are also a wonder to behold as they return to the frozen north after a warm winter in the tropics.  Eight miles east of us is one of the snow geese and swans favorite places to stop for a break.  One warm Sunday afternoon we went out to see the swans.  There were thousands of them.

While we were out an impending storm made its way into Choteau.  In this part of the west you can see storms coming from quite a ways out.  This one looked ominous, but proved to be a fast moving threat.

This last photo shows a group of Canadian geese flying into Freezeout Lake.  What a loud, honking sight to see!

While most of these photos are of the kids and our natural surroundings, my life would certainly not be complete without this special guys who makes spring a fun time for all of us!